UUUGH, this ticks me off! It really seemed like Riddle's mellowed out a little lately. So much for that, though. "Attending school is a student's whole job! Such a dereliction of duty is beyong the pale!" Why's he gotta be such a stick in the mud?!
Oh, come on; he'd have found out anyway. Our school notifies housewardens and teachers when students are absents. Besides, he did make a good point — skipping school isn't okay.
A "good point"? Did you actually think skipping school was normal until he got mad about it? That'd explain why you brought it up to him like it was no big deal... *sigh* Maybe it's my fault for confiding in a moron without a single thought in his head...
What is WITH him? He had no right to get mad about that! Now I'm even more annoyed. Ugh, what a mess... Guess I'd better get all my stuff together before he gets back. Phone charger, tissue packet, mints... Oh, my wallet... Wait, I won't need that if everything's gonna be free.
This should be enough. If I bring too much, that'll just be more stuff I'll have to stow when I go on rides. Now all I have to do is get up and head to the meetup point before dawn! ...Man, I wish it was that easy. Pretty sure the housewarden's gonna be keeping an extra close eye on me now that he knows I'm planning on skipping. If I stayed at Ramshackle tonight, I'd have an easier time sneaking out... But now that he's onto me, any funny business could mean off with [MC] and Grim's heads, not to mention everyone else's. I told [MC] and Grim not to invite anyone and risk spilling the beans... so I can't afford to screw this up. Either way, I'm all prepped for tomorrow. Guess I'll case the halls for an escape route!
Heartslabyul Dorm - Hallway
Heartslabyul Student A
Hey, did you hear about the housewarden? Ace got him royally ticked off.
Heartslabyul Student B
Again? That fresman never learns. What'd he do this time?
Heartslabyul Student C
I dunno the details. For now we probably just wanna be careful and avoid doing anything that could cost us our heads...
The upperclassman arre gossiping about what happened. I hope word about Playful Land isn't getting out... I bet a lot of these guys would easily turn me in to spare themselves the housewarden's wrath. I can't let anyone find out I'm gone in the morning. Better bribe my roommates with drinks to keep 'em from ratting me out. Still... I never really paid attention to how much foot traffic this hallway gets before. There's a non-zero chance someone will get up early and come this way in the morning... I should find another route.
Hmm. Kitchen seems pretty deserted... All right, I think I've found my exit! If I got out through that door there... nobody would notice me, right? It's silly to get bent out of shape over skipping one day of class, and just as silly not to do something just 'coz the housewarden said no. Well, I'M no airhead, unlike SOMEONE. I can make this work. Who wants to follow rules it if means you miss out on cool stuff? I'm gonna have my fun, one way or another.
Wasn't there a scene in Wish Upon a Star where the Wooden Puppet's mentor swung into a carriage with an umbrella? In the version I read, his mentor was a tough-as-nails cricket who wasn't phased by the carriage lurching or the clouds of dust.
That reminds me: I did see a row of stuffed crickets dressed in gentlemanly attire back at the souvenir shop. I take it that was the Wooden Puppet's mentor in toy form.
Never! It's just, you sounded so worn out after the show, y'know? And the end of the lin's in a shaded area. It's not too hot, and you could even sit by the flowers if you wanted...
You pick the oddest times to show your smarts and stand your ground. It's good to have conviction, I suppose... Even if Trey did lend a hand, you must be quite the rogue to have slipped out of your dorm while Riddle had his eye on you.
It was a lot more thriling than it looked at first glance. And our quick shop run solved the mystery of the umbrella. Jack and Vil moved on to look at other stuff. What should we do now?
It's pointing at us, shaking its hips, and moving its hands from side to side... Ooh. Were you guys watching the show? Are you complimenting us on how good we did?
And the cat looks soft and fluffy, not to mention it's all smiles. This guy wouldn't hurt a fly! I get the feeling these are two of the nicest guys you'll ever meet!
Playful Land's had explosions going off everywhere, and I've been hearing some sounds that can"t possibly be good for a while now... But at least the ship's in good enough shape to make it into Craneport, right? The island might be a quiet, boring place, but it sure is gonna feel good to be back after this harrowing experience.
Heh heh. I disagree! We wouldn't have gotten through this without you guys' help. Oh yeah, I almost forgot! The wildest of wild things just happened... Leona actually complimented me.
When I told him I'd thrown my fox tail with a magical boost to get rid of the puppets, he was all like... "Huh, so the puppets were actually just pups. Real nice of you to throw 'em a toy."
Uh, that sounds more like a dig than a compliment. But as long as he's not talking about squeezing me, I'll take what I can get... Sooo, on that note, I've got a question... Playful Land was committing terrible acts all over the world, and it was my efforts that put an end to that. In light of that, you think there's any chance of Housewarden Riddle saying something positive like, I dunno, "Fine work, Ace"?
If we'd gotten back before nightfall, we might've managed to salvage this... But we've been out of contact for a whole night now. I can easily picture Riddle pitching a fit of fury.
Own up and apologize! Any attempts at one of your trademark clever excuses will only serve to anger Riddle further. The best way to earn Riddle's forgiveness is to accept his anger head-on.
